Premium Members Stephen Consentino Posted March 11, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Just wanted give everyone an update on the new HD/SD Zero Delay Video Transmitter from the BOXX. First, I will be a dealer for the new Meridian System (as it’s called). I will be taking delivery of multiple units hopefully at the end of March. Price is yet to be determined and will depend on the $ to GBP conversion rate but figure around $7,500 for a transmitter/receiver combo and power cable. I know this seems a little steep, but given the capabilities of the unit and compared to lets say a Canatrans transmitter/receiver I think it is priced quite favorably. I have been speaking to the company about some specific design and connector concerns as it relates to the use of the Meridian system by Steadicam Operators. They have been very willing to make some modifications to accommodate our needs. I have asked for a 0B Lemo connector to be added for power and video (the same as the power video connector on the PRO and MK-V sleds. I think this connector is far superior to the Hirose connectors found on the Modulus and currently offered on the Meridian system. I have also asked to have removable antennae on the transmitter. Currently the first run of units will have fixed antennae. This is due to an apparent shortage in a part for the removable antennae. These units will be modified for free if the user wishes to as the parts become available. All future units will have removable antennae. The Meridian system will be available in an HD only, SD Only or HD/SD combo configurations. The combo unit will have a built in down converter in the receiver – a really nice feature! As I was told by the factory, the down-converter is a simple frame based one, not a high end broadcast down-converter, but good enough for output to the soundman’s monitor or a Modulus for re-transmission to others on set with small LCD monitors. The Meridian system allows for multiple receivers and has a nice digital display and buttons on the side to do channel selection, etc. This will be a nice addition that will allow for a Director’s handheld monitor with receiver in addition to the video village receiver. Alternately you could have multiple receivers to increase reception on a very long shot. As far as range on the unit goes, I will not quote anything until I have personally tested the final production system. At that time I will give everyone the full and detailed information and real world specs. Obviously owning multiple receivers on such a system will get expensive, so to help out Operators who have ordered systems from me I will have several additional receivers available for rent as needed. I will try to keep the cost reasonable and allow you to mark it up if you wish. I am also going to put together a Director’s handheld monitor w/ receiver for rent also. The last item I hope to have available is the high end Broadcast receiver that allows for Genlock and longer-range reception with multiple antennae. They hope to have iris or possibly even paintbox control integrated into this unit. Great for live events! This receiver alone is over $10,000 so I don’t expect many guys to rush out and buy one, so I hope to have one available for my customers as a rental item. I will not rent out any units directly to jobs with out the Steadicam Operator’s OK. I’m not here to run a rental business or compete with anyone, I don’t believe in that. I will sell units and provide support for my customers. If your unit goes down for any reason I will do my best to provide you with a backup. This will be a reason, I hope, to purchase the units from me. The early photos of the Meridian are not worth posting here as they are of the V-Lock battery mount prototype version. A version for Steadicam Operators and others with flat sides and connectors on the end of the unit will be arriving as I said by the end of March. If I post the other photos I think it will lead to too many unnecessary questions. As I have units for sale I will also have Steadicam and film camera specific power cables available. If you have any questions, wish to pre-order a system or wish to be on my email list to be notified as the Meridian becomes available, please feel free to contact me at the below info. I will do my best to respond to any inquiries here, but a direct email will get a faster response. Best to Everyone, Stephen Consentino Email: steadicam@comcast.net Phone: 914-837-0120 (New York) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Alfeo Dixon SOC Posted March 11, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Will you be at NAB with the units? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Vanderspek Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Will you be at NAB with the units? (7 days later, crickets long past dead) BOXX is scheduled to be there, booths C3109 andC9214, I'd imagine they'll have units at NAB if Stephen is taking delivery in March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Alec Jarnagin SOC Posted April 24, 2009 Moderators Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 OK, So, how does it look? Charles (under an NAB thread) says: "The system is very close to shipping. Unfortunately the transmitter has increased in size somewhat, it's still smaller than the Camwave but not nearly as compact as it once was (say, closer to a Canatrans). It's still under a pound, I would say. The two tall antennas are currently fixed but Scott tells us that it will be possible to remove them soon (within 3 months) and any units purchased will be made backward compatible with this mod. There will be stubby antennas available which will maintain the range but increase the possibility of interference (the tall ones have 3 separate elements, like a diversity system, which would be reduced to 1 in the stubby version). The unit has membrane type buttons and a display readout which is pretty nice. Sadly it's still a bit of a work in progress but it is getting there." Was it actually up and running? How was the image? If a transmitter can look good in the RF hell that is the NAB halls, its a good start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Charles Papert Posted April 24, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted April 24, 2009 Yes, it was up and running and it looked fine. I'm hoping to organize a head-to-head between that and the Camwave under different conditions to assess. To me the attached long antennas will not be practical for Steadicam so I want to wait until the removable stubby ones are in place to do the test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Erwin Landau Posted April 26, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 Didn't care much for it... it was almost twice the width that they said it would be... And the antennas... I can only imagine what my grips would do to them... And nothing nice comes to mind. Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Bryan Fowler Posted May 13, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted May 13, 2009 Didn't care much for it... it was almost twice the width that they said it would be... And the antennas... I can only imagine what my grips would do to them... And nothing nice comes to mind. Oh well. Having it in that position on the bottom gave a nice guide for my arm to fit in, thus keeping my form solid. That being said...yeah.. them things were HUGE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jason Torbitt Posted October 20, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted October 20, 2009 I've received my new Boxx HD kit. I am testing at the moment and doing various trials, and I will be happy to post detailed findings when I have gone through everything. So far it has to be said that the service and communication from the guys at Boxx is first class. More to follow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiago Alexandre Posted November 3, 2009 Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 I've received my new Boxx HD kit. I am testing at the moment and doing various trials, and I will be happy to post detailed findings when I have gone through everything. So far it has to be said that the service and communication from the guys at Boxx is first class. More to follow... Hi everybody! Silkcam is a company based in Portugal and is selling these new products from BOXX TV in Europe. Meridian Pack, a complete set with a HD Transmitter (with V-Lock, Anton Bauer or Velcro Hold), a Broadcast Receiver and a kit of accessories. It gives you an incredible product experience with zero frame latency and a range of 650 feet (200 meters). This is suitable to work in sporting arenas, studio and live events productions, with steadicam and digital film. For more information, www.silkcam.com silkcam@silkcam.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members RonBaldwin Posted November 3, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 I've received my new Boxx HD kit. I am testing at the moment and doing various trials, and I will be happy to post detailed findings when I have gone through everything. So far it has to be said that the service and communication from the guys at Boxx is first class. More to follow... hi Jason and Steve! any new experiences with the boxx to share? How's the antenna situation? rb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members JobScholtze Posted November 3, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 I gave up. For some reason i dont like to drop 6000 euro and wait in line as last. Could be 2 month or even more. So i gave up and bought the IDX camwave wich works great. Also no delay. Bit less distance ( 30 meter or so ) but is light, no antennas etc. Perhaps i would have bought it when the could deliver in a couple of days. The should have stock. I hate to drop cash and have to wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jason Torbitt Posted November 3, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 Hi Ron, The current arrangement is four short stubby antennae on both TX and the handheld version of the RX. Well,if you want to get into video stuff such as tally, genlock, data etc there's a 5th stubby antenna on the TX. A bit of a forest-like arrangement, but it works. I'll have a full write-up shortly. I want to do some more tests seperating antennae at the RX end to see how it affects coverage and range. It's looking very good so far. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Lars Erik Posted November 3, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 3, 2009 The current arrangement is four short stubby antennae on both TX and the handheld version of the RX. Well,if you want to get into video stuff such as tally, genlock, data etc there's a 5th stubby antenna on the TX. A bit of a forest-like arrangement, but it works. Hi Jason, you have an R/x unit with antennaes? Is this something they just have released? I have the Elite version and there is just the antennaes on the T/x. Yes, it looks very promising. I've used it a few times so far, with great results. The range is beyond 60m. And the range is also very good indoors. LE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Jason Torbitt Posted November 23, 2009 Premium Members Report Share Posted November 23, 2009 Hi Lars, Interesting - yes, my RX has the same antennae array as the TX. Same kit as yours though, by the sounds of it. Possibly they're trying out some different things as it is such a new product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Alec Jarnagin SOC Posted December 15, 2009 Moderators Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Any knew news? Pictures with the latest antenna arrangement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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